DUNEDIN.

West Coast Times, Issue 61, 24 October 1865, Page 1 (Supplement)

DUNEDIN.

(From our own Correspondent.) October 16, 1865. The Hero, from your port, arrived here on the 11th instant, after a good passage. Every arrival from the West | Const creates quite a ferment in Dunediu, so many persons being anxious to learn the news. The evening papers (for wo have now two) turn the news to good account, and publish it with all the duo sensational headings. There does not appear to be any cessation in the rush westward ; every day a number of diggers come down from the country and throng round tho shipping offices enquiring for passages, and the jetty presents a busy scene on the departure of tho emigrants. Many of our goldfields are suffering severely the' loss of population, and hired labor is exceedingly scarce. On some of the fields as much as L 4 per week is offered for wages men, and they are difficult to get at that. With this impdrtant exception, the accounts from the goldfields are very satisfactory. The miners appear to be doing very well as a rule, and lately v some brilliant cases ■ of success have occurred. A Binall rush is reported to tho neighbourhood of tho Cardrona, where a • fow men have boen working successfully for some long time " oil the quiet." At Skipper's Creek some of the claims aro yielding splendidly, and excellent accounts havo come in from the Nevia. Several large sluicing undertakings havo recently boon comploted at Tuapeka, Dunatan, and in tho Lake district, and tho opinion generally prevails that when the presont West Coast fever subsides there will be a successful mining season. Judging from the large number of people who aro flocking to your district, it is not improbable (ha* you will.wHncfls a temporary motion

similar to that which occurred shortly after the gold discoveries in this province. Should this happen, let mo recommend a visit to tho Otago goldfields in place of an inconsiderate rush back to Victoria Considerable public solicitude is felt ■concerning Mr Pyke's exploring party, as nothing has been heard of them now for about three weeks. The last intelligence of the expedition left the party at Cameron's Flat at the head of tho Wanaka. Since then a rumour reached here via Oamaru that they had succeeded in penetrating to the const, somewhere in the neighborhood of Jackson's B-y ; but there does not appear to have been any good foundation for the report. Tho Wakntip people are excessively anxious to open up Dr. Hector's track to the Coast, from the Greenstone river to Martin's Bay. When the Superintendent was at Qucenstown a shori time ago, a promise was extracted from him that the Government would cause -a further examination of Dr. Hector's route to be made ; and now I see an expedition has been organised by the Wakatip folks, which it is intended if possible, to place under the leadership of Mr. Cuples, who shares with Dr. Hector in the honor of discovering a practicable route to the Coast. It is stated that several parties have succeeded in getting through to Martin's Bay by this route. One of the last Southland papers reports the nrrivnl at Riverton of a party in a small sailing boat, who had originally intended to pioceed to Ilokitika, but had put in to some inlet further south and ultimately had to return for provisions. They state having found gold at the Waiau river. Duncdm has been suffering the excitement of another election, to supply the seats in the Provincial Council rendered vacant by the resignation of Mr Horace Bastings, and the election of Mr Dick as Superintendent. Your readers will be astonished and amused at the result. There were four candidates, viz., Mr William Mason (Mayor); Mr B. C. Haggitt.solicitor; Mr Thoims Birch, and Mr J. G. S. Grant (of the " Saturday Review," and horsewhipping notoriety). Mr Grant got the show of hands, and strange to say, was returned at the top of the poll, Mr Haggitt being the second. I may premise that this was the first election under the new Electoral Roll, and the first opportunity tho "New Iniquity" had of voting. The new electors now oui number the old ones, and it was confidently hoped that a good and influential man would have come forward to represent the new voters. But either from the inability to find a suitablo candidate, or tho indisposition of any one to come forward, no one proposed. The fact is, that but little interest was felt in the elections, and the consequence was, that the ■working classes, who make up Mr Grant's party, saw a chance of securing his election, and they have succeeded, greatly to the disgust of the more intelligent part of the community. Added to his own immediate supporters a considerable number of persons voted for Mr Grant by way of a " lark," whilst others did so with the deliberate intention of casting contempt on the Council, which is beginning to be extensively regarded as a very incapable body. The affair has its ludicrous side ; one may imagine with what feelings Major Richardson will address Grant as " tho honorable member for Dunedin !" Mr Vogel,too," will hardly relish his great enemy's presence. I expect there will be some funny scenes in the Houso, unless Grant contrives to " put his foot in it" by some indiscretion, and gets committed for contempt.